Family Tree Nursery in Shawnee expanding 'botanically inspired' Café Equinox — here's what it will look like - Shawnee Mission Post

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Family Tree Nursery is planning extensive renovations to its Shawnee location, including upgrades to Café Equinox, offering year-round greenhouse seating and expanding the size of the parking lot.

Located at 7036 Nieman Road, the site has been home to the family-owned garden center for 40 years.

For Jesse Nelson, one of the owners, all of the renovations generate a level of excitement for the nursery and “botanically inspired café,” which serves local brand Thou Mayest Coffee. (Want to see a tour of the cafe and greenhouses? Check out our Instagram video about it!)

“One thing that we love about Café Equinox is the ability to host our guests, and really allow for people to enjoy the space and all the beauty in it,” Nelson said. “And by all the things we’re fixing and doing, it’s going to allow people to sit out there year-round, which we love. We love having people on the property to enjoy all the beauty.”

Construction is already underway with the demolition of two houses on site.

The biggest thing Nelson wants customers to know: Family Tree Nursery will remain open during construction, which is already underway with the demolition of two houses on the site.

However, Café Equinox is shuttered until at least December while the site goes through improvements.

Nelson said they hope to wrap up construction by January 2022.

Here are some of the upgrades planned at Family Tree Nursery and Café Equinox:

• Removing the existing cafe and expanding it with a larger footprint in the same area of the nursery, as well as improving foot traffic flow for a larger queue
• Building a wrap-around bar that will serve coffee drinks (not beer or wine)
• Adding year-round greenhouse seating (the concept has been seasonal up to now)
• Expanding the parking lot from 100 to about 150 spaces, as well as improving onsite traffic flow

“With the demand that people are having for wanting to utilize the space, we are committing to the concept and allowing for year-round greenhouse seating,” Nelson added.

During the nursery’s peak season in the spring, the greenhouse area will have some seating, and additional seating will return for the summer and fall seasons.

In conjunction with the upgrades, Thou Mayest Coffee is also expanding its product line, Nelson added.

Check out these design renderings to get a sneak peek of the nursery’s new look:

Some city help

Family Tree Nursery is investing at least $1.5 million in the expansion and modernization of the facility, according to documents from the city of Shawnee. The nursery on Monday also received approval from the city for a $150,000 forgivable loan out of the Shawnee Entrepreneurial and Economic Development (SEED) program.

City staff cited the nursery’s “explosive growth,” particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which warranted the need for more parking and modernization of some building codes.

“This venue has received national publicity and created interest nationally as a model for how nurseries can augment their business plan and stay busy in the winter months,” city staff reported in a memo.

After some discussion, the Shawnee City Council voted 7-1 to approve the SEED agreement with Family Tree Nursery. Councilmember Mike Kemmling voted in dissent, citing his opposition toward the issue of public dollars supporting private projects.

SEED program discussion

In separate comments unrelated to the Family Tree Nursery project, the city council did briefly discuss the SEED program, with some councilmembers saying they want to see a running list of private projects that are up for future consideration, as well as a running total of how much SEED funding is left to dole out.

The SEED program is funded by fees from Waste Management, which operates the Johnson County landfill located in north-central Shawnee near I-435 and Holliday Drive.

Nelson said he and his family are thankful to work with the city of Shawnee, which has been supportive during this time of transition.

“To see their support and their appreciation for both Café Equinox and Family Tree Nursery, and just the encouragement they’ve given us through the process, that they appreciate us being a part of the community and all the services we offer, it makes it fun to be a part of the city of Shawnee when you know the city’s behind it,” he said.

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Family Tree Nursery in Shawnee expanding 'botanically inspired' Café Equinox — here's what it will look like - Shawnee Mission Post
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